Can anybody who is in a position to know say if this article is accurate? http://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/03/fashion/03TEEN.html If so, as a guy I might have to lament being born too early.
It ties the trends it discusses to women's and girls' advances in athletics. Soccer is one of the most prominent sports in which this has been manifested. The social tie is readily apparent to anyone who stops to think about it (which is why the article mentioned the ties to sports it did).